How the Apple, Pixel, and Galaxy watches compare in automation

In recent years, the smartwatch is one of the hottest device categories in the consumer electronics market. Between features and automation, there are plenty of reasons people love smartwatches.

Various leading technology companies sell these fashionable and functional wearables, which come with a slew of cool and helpful features for users.

Three brands dominate the smartwatch market right now: Apple, Google, and Samsung. Their popular smartwatches share similar features, but each watch has a unique design, user interface (UI), and price point.

Another crucial part of a smartwatch is automation. It helps smartwatches perform more tasks for their users without requiring them to push any buttons or tap the screen.

In terms of automation, how do the Apple Watch, Google Pixel Watch, and Samsung Galaxy Watch compare to one another?

Is automation important in a smartwatch?

One feature many consumers want out of their smartwatches is automation. In simple terms, automation describes a wide range of technologies enabling devices to perform tasks with little human interaction.

Automation allows these advanced wearable devices to automatically perform some task or function. On a smartwatch, a good example of automation would be detecting when a user is exercising.

That feature would turn on workout mode to track calories, the time the user spends working out, GPS capabilities for outdoor exercise, and more.

It’s no secret that the world is becoming increasingly data-driven and tech-savvy. So, it’s understandable that today’s consumers want next-level automation in their devices.

Comparing Apple, Pixel, and Galaxy watches and their automatic features

Smartwatches are essentially small, wearable extensions of the smartphones customers use every day.

Most smartwatch models have to connect to the user’s smartphone. That said, there are some smartwatches that work as standalone devices.

These watches do not require a connection to a smartphone to function properly, meaning users can access their favorite smartphone features on their wrist without having their phone nearby.

Let’s take a deeper look at each brand of smartwatch and what types of automation each one offers to its owner.

Apple Watch

Apple Watch is extremely popular – it commanded 30% of the global smartwatch market in 2021.

These watches offer many automatic features, such as detecting irregular heartbeats, monitoring physical activity and workouts, and measuring your blood oxygen level.

The latest Apple Watch is also capable of detecting car crashes and calling emergency services. On top of that, it can detect falls, track the amount of time you wash your hands, and monitor your sleep cycle.

You can also use the Home app to control any HomeKit-enabled devices and accessories, such as thermostats, locks, lights, smart TVs, window shades, and smart outlets.

Other automatic features include locating your device if you’ve misplaced or lost it, unlocking other Apple devices, connecting to your headphones, and tracking ovulation for users who want more insight into their menstrual cycle.

Apple Pay is also available on Apple Watch to streamline transactions and automatically charge payments to your credit or debit cards.

Google Pixel Watch

The Pixel Watch incorporates some popular features commonly found in Fitbit fitness trackers because Google officially acquired Fitbit in 2021.

For example, Google Pixel Watch accurately and automatically detects heart rate, tracks your sleep stages and health metrics, and allows you to automatically connect to your Google smart home devices using the Google Home app.

According to Google’s Pixel Watch website, its smartwatch models will soon have fall detection features and call emergency services if you need help.

Pixel Watches also have near-field communication (NFC), which allows data to transfer automatically to and from nearby devices.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

The Samsung Galaxy Watch line comes with some impressive features. For example, some of its most popular apps are Spotify, Facer, MapMyRun, ParKing: Find My Car, and Strava.

Galaxy Watches can also perform various tasks automatically, such as heart rate monitoring, GPS, sleep tracking, measuring blood oxygen levels, and more.

Galaxy Watches also have a BioActive sensor, which measures your body composition.

Additionally, if you select the Swimming option on Samsung Health, your watch will automatically turn on Water Lock mode to protect the watch, preventing it from inadvertently activating other watch features.

One interesting feature of the Galaxy Watch is that it will automatically detect your breathing. If you’re stressed, anxious, or out of breath, the watch will alert you and tell you how to adjust your breathing pattern.

Why consider automation features on a smartwatch?

You might wonder why smartwatches come with automatic features for their users. The answer is quite simple.

People want their devices to take over tasks automatically without having to press buttons or talk to a voice assistant.

Aside from some of the features outlined for each watch above, all of them are capable of sharing text, call, and app notifications from your smartphone.

They can also show you the time, set alarms, provide reminders, and other essential tasks to help you day and night.

Automation is present in virtually every aspect of your life, and smartwatches are no exception.

The bottom line

Apple, Pixel, and Galaxy smartwatches are all great products that provide users with next-level connectivity and convenience.

In addition to performing important tasks, these smartwatches come in various sizes and designs.

All three watches have similar automation capabilities. And that can make it challenging to choose between them.

However, your decision comes down to which smartphone you have, how much you can afford to spend, and which features you find to be most essential.

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